Last Ship - GX
by Titanic X
Summary: After the Red Flu has been stabilized, Nathan James and his crew settle down in St. Louis for a while to recover. Yet his son and some friends are about to get into some silly antics! XD Mostly K with a few T rated chapters based on content. :)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, peeps! :D Here's a little series of one shots to complement the new series I'm working on with queenpearl! :) Hope you enjoy these lighthearted and very funny stories! :D**

Chapter 1 - Fish Fancy

The first thing that Nathan James realized when he woke was that something was off.

He slowly opened his eyes, shifting and looking around him. He looked to the left, noting his wife sleeping comfortably next to him. Her body was nestled against his side and he smiled a bit. But when he looked to the right, he noticed that his son was missing.

"Dammit…" he muttered.

He yawned widely and finally lowered himself a bit, feeling the mooring lines slack as he stretched a bit.

Beside his superstructure, Dr. Rachel Scott-James, his wife, opened her eyes and sat up, the blanket falling around her shoulders and revealing her tank top. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"The kid's missing again," Nathan muttered, looking down at her.

The virologist pursed her lips as she got up and walked over to his bow, looking out. "Oh, for crying out loud!"

A sudden cheep was heard as a small blur of grey darted past, followed by a very pissed off cruiser. "Get back here, you brat!" the cruiser shouted, his face full of fish guts.

Both human and destroyer gaped at the sight. Nathan sighed and shook his bow before he looked at Dr. Scott. She nodded and slowly untied the mooring lines tied to his middle and stern while he nipped his own bow mooring lines. Once he was free from the dock, he started his engines and sailed up to the cruiser.

"What happened?" he asked.

"That son of yours splattered fish guts on me!" the other vessel growled as he bared his teeth.

Off to the side, Nathan saw a small shape peeping out from behind a large freighter who was sound asleep. The little shipling was not even a full year, being only ten months of age. He was small, but he was clearly starting to grow. His body and hull design reflected his father's model, the _Arleigh Burke_ -class destroyer, but with slightly sharper angles and on his bow was a small turret forming, complete with a new type of gun. What type was unknown, for when he reached full maturity would they know. His missile hatches were fully formed, and as was customary for little warships, they had been filled with dummy missiles that launched like the real deal so they'd get used to the feeling. On his stern were two little hangars, but as of right now they were just starting to form.

The one thing he got from his mother was her blue eyes, and her curiosity. But he got his pranking streak from his father.

And said pranking streak got him into trouble a lot. Especially with bigger ships and older shiplings.

"Chandler Scott-James, get over here right now!" Dr. Scott snapped.

The shipling whimpered as he hid behind the big freighter.

"Now, young man!" Nathan ordered.

Chandler inched out, although it was plain to see he was scared, judging by the way his hull was shaking. He made his way to his parents and came to a stop in front of them.

"You ought to be ashamed," Nathan said. He glared sternly at his son as Chandler looked down, nosing at a piece of seaweed drifting close by. His bow turned a deep red.

"How did you get fish guts on you?" Dr. Scott asked the cruiser.

He grimaced. "I caught him eating a dead fish and next thing I knew, he threw up and spat fish guts all over my face!" he said.

"Chandler! I told you countless times, do not eat dead fish! It'll make you sick!"

The shipling nodded, whimpering before cheeping in sadness.

"C'mon." Nathan grabbed the small shipling by his mast gently and lifted him out of the water, sailing back to his dock and letting him go on the dock itself.

Chandler squeaked and began to wriggle helplessly, cheeping desperately.

"Nathan, are you sure?" Dr. Scott asked as she watched the little shipling wriggle like a fish out of water.

"He won't stay there for long. Just enough," Nathan assured her. It was only for a minute, and when he lifted Chandler back into the water, the shipling cheeped happily and darted over to his father, nuzzling him in relief.

"I know. You don't like it, little one…" he said soothingly. "But it's only for a short while. I just want you to grow up to be a good man." He nuzzled his son lovingly. "And I really am looking out for you."

Chandler cheeped happily and licked his father as his mother leaned down and scratched the top of his little mast; his height brought his mast to about his father's deck amidships. Chandler purred in his little engines as he closed his eyes and smiled, a lower purr vibrating somewhere inside him.

The cruiser on the other hand, grimaced as he sailed off. "Ick! I hate fish guts!"

"Try the power wash!" Dr. Scott called. "It'll clean that off!"

"Thanks!" the cruiser shouted back gratefully.

Of course though, Chandler wasn't through yet.

The fish guts were just the tip of the iceberg.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Makeover Mayhem

Chandler's eyes glinted as he inched closer to the dock, his little stern wiggling as he eyed his target with a predatory glance. But he was not pouncing for food. His real plan was much more enjoyable than that. A smirk crossed his bow as his teeth grabbed the large bucket, trying to haul it off. But his small size prevented him from doing so.

His tiny engines revved, but they lacked the necessary horsepower to haul the bucket across the dock.

A distressed cheep escaped him as he let go of it, his big blue eyes shimmering with tears.

A soft voice called out and Chandler looked over, his eyes landing on the shape coming closer to the dock. Squeaking in fright, he darted over to where a large crane was napping close to the docks. The crane's arm was down low, so he was able to duck behind the dock and arm to avoid being spotted.

The shipling looked out, his eyes filled with fear, but a bit of curiosity.

The ship coming into dock was a large one, with a grey paintjob like his, and emerald green eyes. On her bow was the number 52, and her armaments glimmered in the light. A low rumble indicated her engines were massive, and he wondered who this beautiful and powerful vessel was.

The large vessel looked over, and her green eyes lit up as she let out a low coo. "Aww~! Hey there, little one!" she cooed.

Chandler cheeped and ducked back into hiding.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you," she said, giving a low croon.

The croon of her engines called to his instincts, but due to his half-human heritage, he had no idea what this meant. So he just inched out, curious but wary just the same.

The larger vessel's eyes seemed to grow wide as she saw his blue eye color. "Oh, it's you!" she remarked. "Nathan's kid, right?"

Chandler nodded, cheeping happily.

He knew who she was now, and he was happy to see her. He sped over, burying his bow into her side and United States grinned. "It's good to see you too," she said with a smile. "What are you doing out here?"

The shipling looked over at the paint bucket, and Big U's eyes widened. "Wait… Were you…?"

Chandler cheeped happily.

Big U caught a glimpse of that pranking streak in his eyes and she sighed, wondering what he wanted to do with a bucket of pink paint. "Okay. What do you have planned this time? If it's a joke on me, forget it!"

The shipling shook his bow, looking over at the pier where a certain ocean liner was moored, sleeping as she waited for the next batch of tourists. The three funnels were a clue as to his target, and Big U shot a glance at the shipling. "You… You are one crazy shipling, kid!" she giggled.

The two grinned.

* * *

Queen Mary stirred as she heard the sound of engines coming closer, and she opened her eyes, yawning widely. "Big U, if you're going to pull a joke with your horn, forget it!" she muttered.

A soft cheep caught her hearing and her eyes snapped wide open. She looked down, her eyes landing on the small shipling as he grinned, wiggling his stern playfully as he held a small ball in his teeth.

"Oh!" Queen Mary shook herself awake and blinked the last vestiges of sleep from her brain. "You want to play?" she asked.

The shipling cheeped as he darted over, dumping the ball near her.

The former ocean liner grinned as she grasped the ball with some of her rigging, and with one swift movement like a whip, she sent the ball flying. The shipling cheeped happily and sped off, his little engines whirring as he chased it down.

Chandler though was only doing this to distract her while United States crept up, the paint bucket held in her teeth.

And all it took was one well-placed toss to get the paint splattered on her decks, hull, and superstructure.

 _SPLAT!_

"ACK!" Queen Mary wound up sputtering and spitting out paint as a few boys spotted the sight and cracked up, one of them falling over onto his back as he clutched his stomach.

"Oh boy! That is a riot!" he cried.

Queen Mary whirled around at her dock, her eyes flashing in anger. "STEAMSHIP UNITED STATES! That is the last straw!" she roared.

"Try and catch me then!" the crossbreed chirped as she stuck out her tongue before speeding off, her massive engines propelling her faster than most ships.

Little Chandler giggled as he darted after, just barely catching onto her portside anchor with his own, letting the little chain play out until he was skidding alongside her, cheeping happily.

"That boy is a real heap of trouble!" Queen Mary grumbled as she looked back at herself in the water.

Her entire front – bow, superstructure, and deck – was covered in bright pink paint. She shuddered.

"CHANDLER JAMES!"

Nathan's cry caught Dr. Scott's attention. She looked up from her work.

"Something wrong, Nate?" she asked the destroyer.

Nathan James snorted as he looked at his wife. "One word: paint."

Dr. Scott blinked before she sighed. "That kid is really a handful…" she muttered, but she was cut off as she felt a bout of nausea coming. She placed a hand to her taught, protruding stomach, and she felt the movement within. A soft sensation, almost like something light was fluttering against the interior lining of her stomach. She knew what it was and she smiled a bit. Her flesh there bulged a bit and she felt the sensation of something pressing against her stomach.

Nathan noticed this and he smiled a bit. "Well, when we have our other little one… it'll be double the work…" he purred, lightly licking her shoulder with his tongue.

She grinned back. "Better hope not…"

Chandler just cheeped in confusion.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Sub Pup Surprise~!

The sun shone down on the docks at Norfolk Naval Station, the home port of the newly recovering United States Navy. Birds chirped and flew overhead, circling around as they passed over the heads of humans and the masts of the vessels that lived and worked at the base. The sky was clear of clouds, and it was a crisp autumn morn, a new day in the wake of the Red Flu. Waves lapped against the docks as ships came and went, going about their daily lives while their human companions assisted them when it was needed.

Studying the sky, Nathan sighed as he leaned against the dock, feeling his entire hull relax from the intense pressure of trying to study the virus some more. Even though he and his crew and his wife had managed to find the cure and stop the spread of the disease, there was still a fear by those few survivors that it would spread and mutate again. So they were trying to see if there were any different strains of it.

And he had a shipling to raise at the moment, too. Sure he had been vaccinated, but he still had to keep an eye on the kid and make sure he didn't get into any trouble.

Right now though little Chandler James was too curious for his own good and had gone off exploring the base, prowling around to see if there were any other shiplings his age. His blue eyes were wide as he slithered between a pair of sleeping ships, his sleek hull proving to be an asset, much like an eel. His engines purred as he sped off once he emerged from between them, wriggling a little to get out.

A cheep of wonder escaped him as he looked around at the massive vessels all around him; he was also a little intimidated.

He somehow managed to make his way out of the cluster of ships and back towards the semi deserted docks. He looked back slightly, noticing that he was further away from his father and mother, a distressed whine coming from his throat.

But that was nothing compared to what he heard next.

A very panicked cheep came from further down the docks, and his curiosity was piqued. Moving slowly, Chandler crept up on the dock closest to him, his eyes searching for the source. He didn't even see the black shape huddling beneath the waves, a pair of eyes peeping up from below at his sleek hull. In fact, he was very startled when he felt something brush against his underside. He panicked and bolted, hiding behind the dock and peering out cautiously.

The small shipling inched out again, this time spotting something below the waves. He was cautious and wary, as befitting a destroyer of his age. He looked around as the shape inched closer, slowly emerging a bit to reveal a very small object, only fifteen feet in length and apparently very scared.

A small whine escaped the little object, now revealed to be a very tiny baby submarine pup. She was scared to death, and Chandler felt sorry for her. He inched closer and nuzzled her, worry crossing his features. He purred a bit and the pup blinked her eyes, darting back out of fright.

Chandler tried again, cheeping this time.

The small pup backed up, and he frowned.

He looked left and right, finally spotting what appeared to be a training torpedo (small of course) not too far off. There were teeth marks on it, and he had an idea as to whose it was. Chandler zipped over and grabbed it in his teeth, pulling it off the dock and into the water where it floated, bobbing in between the two.

He cheeped and pushed it towards the pup, smiling broadly.

She just stayed where she was, shaking.

Chandler pursed his lips and inched closer, grabbing it in his teeth again and chewing on it thoughtfully.

A sudden jerk on it caught him off guard and he cheeped in surprise as he spotted the little sub pup tugging at it, trying valiantly to get it back. A glint appeared in Chandler's blue eyes as he reversed, backing up with the little pup still clinging to the training torpedo.

He carefully made his way past the other ships, taking care to not spook the little pup. The bigger ships stayed out of his way and finally he was past them, tugging the sub pup back to the dock where his father and mother were working.

Nathan spotted the two at that moment and his eyes went wide. "Chandler! Where were you?" he asked.

The shipling just cheeped as he tugged the training torp out of the pup's mouth. She cheeped sadly and he handed it back to her with a wide smile.

"Oh! Where'd you find your friend?" Dr. Scott asked as she looked up from her work.

Chandler just cheeped and pointed with his bow in the direction of the dock he had come from.

"Any idea where her mother is?" Nathan asked a passing patrol boat, looking at the sub pup with one of his eyes.

"No clue. She could've died from the virus," the boat said as he moved on.

The destroyer pursed his lips, but nodded.

The next few hours were spent trying to find information on the pup's mother and father, and much to their distress and horror, the two had died all right. Not from the Red Flu, but from an attack by pirates. Nathan didn't want to break the news to the little pup, let alone tell her at all. So he and his wife made a decision to hand the pup over to Thresher who was recovering from a recent bout of the stomach flu. The old submarine took to the pup at once, going into motherly mode at the moment she heard of the news. The pup was overjoyed to be with her mother (well, more like her surrogate mother, but she was too young to even know that), and she cheeped happily, speeding around in little circles, chasing her stern like a little puppy.

Nathan chuckled at the sight. He had to admit, that was very adorable.

Chandler squealed with delight and happily sped around in a circle himself before darting over and burying his face in Thresher's side.

Yeah. Those two would be best friends indeed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Double Trouble

"YAGH!"

That yelp wasn't even what woke him up.

What _did_ wake him up were the loud explosions that echoed across the harbor.

Nathan James' eyes snapped wide open and he tensed at the explosions, instinct coming into play. His gun swung about left and right, a shell loaded into the breech. His missile launchers were checked and primed, their deadly payload ready to fire as he checked, double checked, and triple checked his other weapons. His teeth were bared and his engines were revving as he looked around, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

His mind briefly flashed to his wife and newborn son lying on his deck and he instinctively turned to the left, exposing his starboard side to protect them from harm.

For a moment, he was back in the fight, going up against the Immunes and their cultist leaders, Sean and Ned Ramsey, and their submarine, Achilles. His mind thought that he was out at sea, and he expected to feel the slight tingling on his hull plates that indicated radar had locked onto them. Memories of that slimy eel Niels also came forth and he growled.

But then the explosions died down, and all was silent. His body was tense as he looked around, trying to search out those damn men who dared to fuck with the world and mess things up—

"Nate?"

The voice of his wife cut through his adrenaline-fueled thoughts and he blinked, realizing that he was no longer in the middle of the fighting, and that he was safe in harbor. His tense posture relaxed as he recalled that the Ramseys had been killed and Achilles had been rescued from their grasp. He sighed and angled his gun away from the deck they were on, back to the front and shut down his other weapons. "Sorry," he murmured, looking down at the two.

Dr. Rachel Scott-James watched her husband with worry in her eyes as she held a bundle in her arms. "You sure? You looked pretty tense…"

"Combat fatigue…" he muttered. "Sometimes it gets to me."

The virologist nodded as she placed a hand on his superstructure, feeling the soft, yet hard metal beneath her palm. "I understand, Nate. But you have to remember that it's over now."

"I know," Nathan told her. "But still… hearing those explosions reminded me of that."

A soft cheeping drew his attention to the bundle in her arms and he smiled a bit. "How is he?" he asked.

Dr. Scott-James chuckled as she removed part of the bundle, revealing not a human baby, but another little shipling. His eyes were a beautiful green, and he was not much longer than three feet, about three-foot-two. His mast wasn't even ramrod straight like his father's or his older brother's; at the moment, it lay flush with his deck, almost flat. (As shiplings of the _Arleigh Burke_ -class grow, their masts tend to straighten up. When they're young like this, it tends to be flat back to protect it.)

"He's a bit hungry," she said, shifting a bit.

Darien James was the newest addition to their little family, and he was quite snuggly when he wanted to be. Right now he snuggled close to his mother and latched on, beginning to suckle happily as he purred in his tiny engines.

"I wonder what those explosions were," she said as she looked up at her husband.

Nathan's eyes narrowed as he looked back out at the harbor, his keen eyesight roving over for any possible threats to the peace. But nothing was present. "No doubt just some punks setting off firecracker bombs," he muttered. "They sometimes do that with Queen Mary, and it's no surprise that she doesn't like it either."

"And what about that yelp?" Rachel asked worriedly. "That sounded like United States."

"If it was, she's in no real danger. With her speed, nothing can catch her," Nathan assured his wife.

"FOR THE LOVE OF POSEIDON! _QUEEN MARY, YOU ARE_ _ **DEAD!**_ "

Big U's voice was filled with rage as she came charging out from behind a large freighter who was jerked awake by her sudden engine revving. He snorted a few times and blinked his eyes, trying to clear his vision from the psychedelic blur as it zipped past him.

Nathan gaped in shock at the multicolored liner as she glared back at a few giggling sailboats. "Shut it!" she spat.

Now he knew what those explosions had been.

United States was totally covered in multicolored paint splatters. Her right side had blue, green, orange, yellow, red, and purple paint in that order, while her left was covered in red, yellow, blue, green, purple, and orange in that order.

"Okay…? Do I even _want_ to know?" he asked.

"One word, James!" she growled. "Paint!"

Nathan reeled back a bit, shocked at her use of his last name. "Whoa! Settle down! Just asking! Geez!" he blurted, raising his gun in a gesture of submission.

The sleek ocean liner noticed this and relaxed. "Sorry. I just didn't expect this one at all!" she remarked. "I mean, I knew Queen Mary wanted revenge, but this? This is just nuts!"

"Speaking of nuts, where's that little troublemaker of ours?" Rachel asked as she finally finished feeding Darien. She held the little shipling over her shoulder and patted him amidships. He let out a little burp and sighed contentedly as he snuggled closer. (And shiplings do not spit up! XD)

"Last I saw he was heading towards the docks with a mussel," United States said.

"Wonder what that kid's up to," Dr. Scott-James muttered with a shake of her head.

"Wait. Where'd he get a mussel?" Nathan asked, his eyes narrowing.

"From a small storage tank," the ocean liner replied as she looked back at said tank. Nathan sailed over, and peered inside, noting that the mussels inside were messed up and some lay on the dock.

"Hm."

Nathan frowned a bit. "Where was he going with it?"

"Queen Mary's dock. I think he was going to dope her lobster with something," United States remarked before she looked at her sides and shuddered. "I'm gonna be a nightmare for a while!"

"Hey, Hippie! How's the tree-hugging?!" a voice called.

"SHUT UP, Michael!" Nathan roared as he fired his gun.

USS Michael A. Monsoor cackled madly as he sped off, the shell missing him and landing in his wake. Nathan growled as he rolled his eyes. "Cheeky punk!"

"Why did we even spare him after what he did?" United States grumbled as she narrowed her emerald eyes.

Nathan's own green eyes looked more like neon gems than anything as he scowled. "Blame the US government. They felt we needed all the firepower we could get. So they cleared him and let him live. I say we should've shot him when we had the chance."

Dr. Scott-James rolled her eyes. "Don't blame them. We are still short on naval power for now… despite the boom in babies," she said.

The two ships nodded.

"May as well and split up, try and find Chandler," Nathan said as he started his engines. "I'm worried about the boy."

He sailed off as Big U went another way, getting a cat-call from a sleezy freighter but not before she flipped the prop his way. (Flipping the prop is when they briefly expose their props, and it's considered an insulting gesture. Flicking the wire is another one, but not as insulting as flipping the prop.)

The destroyer looked around, trying to find his son. While Chandler was a good boy, he was getting a bit hard to keep a handle on, and this time of his life was devoted to as much learning as possible. So no doubt he had gone off to explore. But still, it worried Nathan.

"Chandler? Where are you?" he called.

His wife also called his name, but there was no answer.

Until a distressed cheep/whine caught his hearing.

Nathan felt his engines skip a few times as he halted, his eyes dilated a bit from shock and fear.

"CHANDLER!" he cried, turning around so fast he himself didn't believe it. He gunned his engines and sped in the direction, his keen hearing locking onto the distressed cries of his son.

He traveled as fast as he could before he spotted a small shape dangling above the water, wriggling and cheeping helplessly. Nathan's eyes went wide and he gaped. "CHANDLER!" he cried.

Chandler shot a look at him, fear and pain filling those big blue eyes.

"What happened to him?" Rachel asked worriedly.

"I have no idea. But someone did this, and they strung him up by his props!" Nathan hissed. "That's low!"

"How will we get him down?" she asked, looking her husband in the eyes. "I mean…"

Nathan activated one of his other guns and fired a few shots at the cables binding him up by his props. Then he lunged forward, yelling at his wife to hold on. The cable snapped and the shipling cheeped as he fell. But his father was in motion already and grabbed his son by his mast, catching him before he hit the water.

Nathan landed keel first, and he winced as his body throbbed in pain. "AGH!"

As soon as the pain began to die down, he released his son and the two looked him over.

He was okay, but his props were bent out of shape.

"Damn…" he muttered. "No wonder he was in pain."

Rachel nodded, holding little Darien close. "Yeah. We have to get him back for repairs."

Nathan picked up his son and sailed back to dock at once. His eyes were hard as he looked around, trying to spot the perp who did it.

Big U and Nathan reconvened a few hours later, and Big U was very pissed off.

"What happened?" Nathan asked her.

"Long story short, I know who did it," the ocean liner said.

"And who might that be?" Dr. Scott-James asked as she removed the second little shipling's diaper. (Yes, shiplings wear diapers when they're being cared for by a human parent. Otherwise they don't.)

"Two words: Three funnels!" Big U spat.

Nathan's eyes widened. "You're joking!" he blurted.

Big U shook her bow. "Nope. I talked to a few people and they said that they saw her rigging paint bombs on me and setting up wire for little Chandler. Apparently she was trying to string him up by his screws, but failed and got his props instead."

"Okay…" Nathan's green eyes hardened. "So, how to get back at her…"

"Don't dope her lobster in caviar," Big U advised. "It gives her the runs."

"Hmm… Okay. Then what about… mussels?" he asked, suddenly remembering something.

Big U perked up. "Mussels? What kind?"

"Fresh water," Nathan answered, grinning.

"She just has a mild allergy. It makes her cheeks puff up. Why?" Big U asked, cocking a bridge window.

"Just trust me," Nathan said, his eyes glinting.

* * *

Queen Mary was very surprised indeed. Because after she ate her lobster, she felt her cheeks puffing up, and she was shocked. Her scream resonated across the docks at San Diego and Nathan had to use all his willpower just to keep a straight face.

The former ocean liner was horrified and she wanted to know who did it, but no one knew. Nathan was one to cover his tracks this time. And he did indeed.

Chandler, now with his props fixed, sailed up to Queen Mary and puffed up his own cheeks as he held his breath, mimicking her. She felt insulted and curled up, hiding her face in shame.

And she gained a new nickname: Chipmunk Queen.


	5. Chapter 5

**Note: This chapter is rated for language.**

Chapter 5 - Roped Up Revenge! XD

The sun was beating down on the entire city, making it one of the hottest days of the year. It didn't help much that the nuclear attacks from about a year ago were causing havoc with the climate to some degree. Nathan swore to himself under his breath as he made his way to the dock to be fueled up. He was very much against the Ramseys for having nuked America and Europe, but there was nothing he could do about it since the two were dead. All they could do was try to clean up the labs and find the bodies.

His grey hull was streaked with sweat, making him pant a bit. It wasn't as bad as some other ships though, and he felt sorry for those with black hulls like the submarines. But they had the ability to dive deep, so he wasn't too worried. Only if they went on land was it a major problem.

Nathan blinked as some sweat dripped into his eyes and he shook himself a bit. He grimaced from the stinging sensation it brought. "Damn climate change…" he muttered under his breath. He shot a glance at the fueling station as a few forklifts and humans hauled over the pipes and hoses to plug into his fuel tanks. The sensation was a welcome relief to him as he felt the fuel beginning to flow shortly after. He always felt better after a decent fueling.

The fueling didn't take as long as it normally would have, and he let out a sigh of relief once the hoses were detached and hauled off. He backed up from the fueling station and pulled up alongside the dock where his wife stood, holding their youngest shipling, Darien. The little warship blinked his green eyes, looking all for the world like an adorable puppy.

He cheeped as he spotted his father and grinned.

"Hey, honey," Dr. Scott-James remarked with a flirty grin.

"Hey, love," Nathan purred, nuzzling her with his bow. "How are the kids?"

"Well, Darien just won't stop getting into places he's not supposed to," his wife said as she chuckled. "He's always trying to nose into my purse or my dresser."

Nathan laughed. "I bet!" he chuckled. "That boy's something else."

"Speaking of which, how's Chandler?" Rachel asked as she shifted little Darien to her other shoulder.

"That kid's up to no good as usual," Nathan snorted. "He got into Thresher's food yesterday, and he managed to swipe one of Big U's anchors somehow!"

"What about Queen Mary? Have you gotten any trouble from her?" Rachel wondered. She knew Queen Mary had been planning revenge for some time now, but to not hear or see any sign of that worried her. That usually meant something big… or bad.

The destroyer grinned at her. "Hey. If she tries anything, I'll be ready," he said with a wink.

Rachel nodded, but she was still worried for her husband as he gave a bit of a wave with his gun and sailed off to try and find their other, more rambunctious son. As he left, little Darien cheeped and wriggled, making her look down fondly as she shifted him and patted him amidships to help him burp.

Nathan made his way through the busy harbor, his hull starting to feel a bit warmer. He was used to it though, having trained for such weather. Still didn't make it comfortable though. He shook himself a bit to get the extra sweat away from his eyes.

"Chandler! Where are you?" he called.

There was no answer from his son.

That sent a shiver down his body all the way to his keel and he shuddered a bit.

"Chandler James!" he called again. "Where are you?!"

The destroyer was now on high alert as he made his way towards an abandoned dock, unaware of the little shape lurking close by. Nathan's body was tense, and every ounce of his wiring and frame was poised for attack. His instincts, honed from countless battles against the Immunes and pirates, alerted him to a potential threat close by, and as he whirled to face it down, a sudden cheep came from nowhere and a small grey blur darted forward, burying itself in his side and knocking the wind from his lungs.

Nathan gasped as he was shoved to the side for a few meters before he forced himself to come to a stop, dropping his starboard anchor and dragging it across the harbor bottom. He felt some pain in his side from the impact, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

He shot his gaze down to his attacker and was met with big blue eyes and a happy little face.

"Chandler! What were you doing, you goof?" Nathan laughed as he nuzzled his son. "Trying to play?"

Chandler cheeped with joy and sailed around his father as he hauled up his anchor. "Okay, okay! Just settle down, son!" he chuckled.

The young shipling waggled his stern playfully as he sped off, leaving a wake behind him. Nathan sighed as he shook his bow, a smile crossing his face. Sometimes his son was just a riot.

He sailed after, following the little shipling out of the harbor a slight ways. The waters outside were teaming with vessels, ranging from sailboats to small fishing boats, and to larger ships like tankers, cruise ships, ocean liners, and several warships, including Missouri. It was a surprise to see the old battleship out and about down here, but then again, he wasn't complaining. Her firepower was adequate for defense, even if it was slightly outdated.

The shipling darted in between a pair of sailboats, startling them and forcing Nathan to sail around them, giving an apologetic blast of his horn as he did so.

Nathan finally made his way out beyond the range of the other ships, noting that his son was going towards the old oil rigs. His eyes narrowed a bit as he sped after. "Chandler! Chandler James! You stop right there!" he shouted. "This place is off limits!"

But little Chandler wasn't listening. He was just too curious for his own good.

Nathan growled as he increased his engine speed. His powerful diesel engines began to hum and he felt the power flooding through his hull frame. He kept his radar locked onto the youth as he finally arrived at an oil rig and started weaving between its 'legs', cheeping excitedly and waggling his stern. The older destroyer scowled as he sailed closer. "Chandler James! Get away from that oil rig right now!" he barked.

Chandler cheeped and sped in between the 'legs', prompting Nathan to speed up a bit more, finally cutting his engines and coaxing his sleek hull into a stop so that he was facing perpendicular to the rig itself. His eyes were wide as he stared at the sight. He had never expected to see a rig up close before, and to be honest, it kind of intimidated him. True he was pretty big, but even so, these things towered over him.

And to even be close to one was enough to make him shudder a bit.

The oil rig was starting to rust over, and he could see some bits of wire and piping still hanging from the platform itself. The whole thing was just a deserted ghost town in the middle of the ocean. Chandler's cheep from between the platform's 'legs' forced his awe and astonishment from his mind and with a slight revving of his engines he was able to turn his hull so that way he was facing down the middle of the gap. He inched his way closer to the gap, and he was able to squeeze his hull through the opening. The tip of his mast was feet from the underside, but he had no idea how much clearance he had.

"Chandler! Get over here!" he called.

The shipling giggled and peeped out from behind one of the 'legs'.

"Now!" Nathan barked. "It's not safe here!"

Chandler cheeped again as he darted behind another 'leg'.

"Young man, do you want to be plopped on the dock again!?" Nathan growled. "I keep telling you it's not safe out here!"

The threat wasn't enough. Chandler just cheeped once more, and with a slight giggle, slithered between his father's hull and a 'leg' of the old oil platform.

"If you don't listen to me, you won't get any salmon for later, and you'll be confined to dry dock for a few days!" Nathan snapped.

The shipling stopped and peeped out, cheeping submissively.

"Thought so. Now let's get outta here," Nathan said, motioning with his gun.

Chandler followed his father out from underneath the 'legs' of the platform and the two made their way back to the harbor of New Orleans.

Nathan had to admit, his son was becoming a real troublemaker at times. Especially with heading out towards deserted oil platforms, and considering how they were dangerous with falling equipment and even oil leaks, it made sense to stay away from them.

He closed his eyes and sighed as they finally made their way past the ships sniffing around for fish for themselves and the humans within the city limits. He spotted Big U who was still decked out in that psychedelic color scheme, and he gave a blast of his horn. She returned it, followed by a louder blast.

The destroyer cocked an eye as he noticed that. She never did that before. So, why now?

He brushed it aside as little Chandler sped over to his mother, who was waiting for him. She knelt down, setting his little brother down and putting out a hand to scratch his mast. Chandler purred happily before he cheeped and whipped his body around, his little anchor looping around one of the bollards on the dock. He started to hoist himself out of the water, his little props scraping against the dock and earning whimpers for his efforts. His mother saw this and gently pulled his anchor loose, helping him back down into the water.

She didn't even hesitate to lean down as far as she could to stroke his little bow with her fingers, earning a very loud purr as a result.

Nathan smiled a bit as he made his way over to where the docks were.

He didn't even notice the cable in front until it was practically too late.

He suddenly felt something wind itself around his screws and the next thing he knew, he felt a jerk and his vision was suddenly aiming at the water as he heard the cable whizzing through a series of pulleys, He yelped as his body jerked a bit, and he realized at once that he was dangling by his stern out of the water.

At once he heard a loud cacophony of catcalls and whistles as female ships – and even some males – saw him dangling there. He wondered what the hell they were so excited about. He tried to turn to see, but as he hung there he realized – with a deep blush – that they were talking about his _screws!_

He blushed even harder.

"Nice screws!" a freighter called with a wink.

"Wow! Those are some nice ones!" a cruise liner whistled. "You're really hot!"

Nathan's eyes went wide and he looked at her, his mouth falling open. Didn't she realize he was _married!?_

"Hey, Nathan! No wonder you got a hottie!" a tanker chuckled. "For a human, that is!"

Big U on the other hand was blushing so red her entire bow was a deeper color than normal. Her eyes were wide and she hurriedly averted her gaze, closing her eyes. "Nathan! There's shiplings about!" she shouted.

A few mothers had ushered their shiplings and pups away from the sight.

On the other hand, some ships were _not_ impressed.

"Aw, no fair! I thought _I_ had the bigger size!" Michael whined as he looked at Nathan's underside near his stern.

"Who did this?!" Nathan yelled, glaring at the _Zumwalt_ -class.

"Oh, I know. As if I'd tell you though!" Michael remarked with a laugh as he turned and sailed off, flipping his props in Nathan's direction.

" _MICHAEL MONSOOR! GET THE FUCKING HELL BACK HERE!_ " Nathan roared, wriggling helplessly.

Off to the side though, Rachel was looking at Nathan's underside with appreciation. She smirked as she folded her arms, leaning to one side a bit seductively. "Well… He's certainly a good size under there…" she purred. "Especially with those props…"

Nathan squirmed and wriggled the best he could. His ears were pounding as the blood began to flow to his head and brain, making his engines work harder to keep the blood pumping throughout his armored hull and body. He growled as he finally managed to get one of his missiles armed and online. He adjusted it a bit, knowing that this was a risk he had to take.

"Nathan! If you're thinking of doing that, think again!" Big U shouted as she sailed up, keeping her gaze locked onto his.

"Well, how else am I supposed to get down!?" the _Arleigh Burke_ shouted.

Big U rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure. Let me get you down."

She gave an order and Nathan's eyes went wide as he stared at a helicopter emerging from Big U's stern. "When'd you get a helicopter?" he asked.

The crossbreed shook her head. "Long story. But for now, just hang on."

The helicopter, one Davis Watson, started up his engines and lifted off her stern helipad, flying over to where the cable was wrapped firmly around Nathan's screws. "Well. Looks like she got it right this time," he remarked.

"Who did?" Nathan asked.

"A certain ocean liner," Davis said with a snicker. "Who would've thought this would be her revenge?"

At those words, the destroyer's eyes flew wide open. He knew who it was instantly.

" _QUEEN MARYANNE!_ " he roared.

Big U grinned. "Bingo! And I got a plan as payback for this ridiculous paint job!"

"Just get me down!" Nathan yelled.

Davis chuckled as he hovered closer, and with a few quick nips of his teeth, severed the cable around his screws. Nathan yelped as he plummeted to the ocean, colliding with it bow first. He sank into the water a bit before buoyancy took over and he bobbed to the surface like a cork.

He gasped and took in a deep breath before he coughed violently, splattering a lot of water onto the dock. "Geez!"

"And don't worry! We'll get Queen Mary back for that!" Big U grinned. "Just watch!"

"Yeah? Well, do something that'll make _her_ feel embarrassed!" Nathan hissed as he finally shook the cable's remnants loose from his props and shafts."Oh, I will!" United States giggled. "I will indeed!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - Flower Power

"FOR THE LOVE OF POSEIDON! WHO DID THIS!?"

Nathan snapped awake from his sleep when he heard that scream. His eyes were wide and he was panting as he armed his five inch gun on sheer reflex. He looked around, trying to spot the source of the scream.

He was very surprised that someone would wake up the entire city at… (He checked his clock)… four in the morning?!

Nathan groaned and closed his eyes, trying to fall back asleep. But it was no good. His body was awake, and so was his mind.

"Okay… What's the racket?" he grumbled as he stretched the kinks out of his lean hull.

Beside his superstructure his wife stirred, opening her pretty blue eyes. "Honey? What's wrong?" she asked.

"Some jerk decided to wake everyone up at four in the morning…" he muttered. "Just get some rest, Rachel."

Rachel closed her eyes, falling back against his superstructure and holding their shiplings close to her body. Little Darien lay curled on his side partially while Chandler, who was about fifteen feet long already, lay snuggled closer to her, his larger body acting like a bulwark against the wind. She was still able to wrap her arms around him partially, but soon he would be too big to sleep on his father's decking without causing him structural damage.

Nathan smiled a bit at the fond sight and he started his engines, quietly though so as to not wake his family.

As he made his way out of the dock slowly, he spotted other vessels starting to stir and opening their eyes to greet the sunlight just peeking over the horizon. Mo was the first one to greet him as he came out of his dock. "Morning, Nathan," she said with a yawn. "Did you hear that scream?"

"Oh, yeah," Nathan said as he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "That was enough to startle me awake."

"Try waking up when you've got a cold…" Kentucky, aka Kenny, mumbled before he sneezed loudly. His diving planes flicked up as he sneezed. Nathan reeled back a bit, his eyes widening.

"Hey! Watch it!" he blurted.

"Sorry… I got this cold two weeks back…" the _Ohio_ class said with a sniffle. "Been stuck in dock since…"

"Geez… Talk about misery…" the destroyer muttered under his breath. "Anyway, I'm gonna get something to eat."

Missouri nodded. "Try the next dock over. There's some fish there," she said. "A whole bunch."

"Fresh?" Nathan asked as he turned his body in that direction.

The old battleship nodded. "Freshly caught."

"Thanks. Don't want a certain shipling of mine getting into the dead stuff!" he grinned.

Nathan finally headed off in the direction of the next dock, his eyes landing on the man who was handing out fish.

"Well, look who's finally up!" he joked.

"Shut up, Harris!" Nathan replied with a chuckle. "So, catch anything good?"

"Just the usual. Lobster, crawdads, crabs… all kinds of fish that live here in the bay," Harris Mills remarked as he motioned to the rows of crates. "So help yourself. The kiddos doing okay?"

"Oh, yeah. Yesterday Chandler went close to the oil rigs. I got him out though, and well…" Nathan blushed as Harris caught this and burst out laughing, slapping his knee.

"Oooh, boy, son! You were as red as a tomato when they started calling out!" he chortled.

"Don't remind me…" Nathan muttered as he turned his bulk to face the dock so Harris could load up a few crates and hand them over.

Breakfast was actually very good this morning, as the fish were as fresh as could be. Nathan was fully sated when he sailed away from the dock, a few extra lobsters and crabs stored away for his sons when they woke up from their sleep. He even had a small platter of crawdads made up for his wife.

As the sun began to rise over the city, the next few hours saw people coming and going from the revitalized city. Living vehicles of all kinds were starting to make their rounds, and the fleet was beginning to head about their daily activities of fishing, gathering supplies, and ferrying goods to and from the other cities on the coasts.

Nathan was actually very impressed by how far things had come since the end of the Red Flu Pandemic. Sure there were still holdouts of Immunes, but without the Ramseys to lead them, they were nothing more than mere fanatics. And to have finally cleared his name of that attack on innocents was a huge relief he still felt glad for. That, and Rachel's murder of Niels was also cleared, which made him double relieved. He watched as his wife and two sons started to play in the waters closer to the beaches, and a fond smile crossed his face.

His family was together, he was happy, and most of all, the world was on the road to recovery.

He lifted his gaze from the sight of his family playing to see Big U finally sail past, a smirk on her bow.

Nathan cocked an eye in confusion. "Okay. What's so amusing?" he asked.

The crossbreed's lips were twitching as she tried to keep a straight face. On her stern, Davis was cackling like a hyena.

The destroyer looked at him like he was nuts. "What's got him cackling?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "And don't try to hide it."

Big U merely looked back at the dock where Queen Mary was assigned, and his eyes narrowed a bit more as he looked in the old ocean liner's direction. As soon as his gaze landed on her however, his eyes widened and he had to clamp his mouth shut to keep himself from howling with laughter at the sight.

All three of her funnels were painted a ridiculous pink color with bright yellow and purple flowers decorating them. And her bridge was all decked out in roses and daylilies, her lips were painted a deep red, and blush dotted her cheeks.

His entire body quivered as he tried to keep his laughter in. But the sight was just too amusing and he finally lost it, as did United States. Both ships nearly capsized in laughter it was so funny. Nathan found himself leaning against the larger ocean liner as she tried to stay upright. But her larger hull and greater weight was pressing against him, and finally both ships fell over, landing on their sides and tears streaming down their cheeks.

"STEAMSHIP UNITED STATES! THIS IS THE LAST STRAW!" Queen Mary roared at her.

"Yeah… what…whatever…whatever Grandma!" the younger liner howled.

"Looks good!" Nathan chortled.

"Shut up, James!" Queen Mary hissed.

"Just sayin'! And consider that payback for stringing me up by my stern!" he cackled, finally managing to right himself before he collapsed close to the dock.

A few other ships were laughing as well at the sight, only making her feel even more embarrassed and enraged at the group. She finally turned and sailed off, no doubt to hide from the sheer level of embarrassment this caused her. As she left, Nathan finally got upright and shook his body as he sighed. "Whew! Man, that was hilarious! How'd you manage that?" he asked her.

"Davis did it," United States remarked. "He was able to paint her funnels while she slept, and I did the blush and lipstick. He also added flowers!"

"I am so not getting on his bad side!" Nathan grinned.

Davis nodded. "Wise choice, Nathan."

"Anyway, hope she doesn't have any revenge pranks planned after this," Nathan said. "Because that was the best one yet!" He grinned widely.

"Somehow I don't think she's out of ideas yet," Mo said as she sailed up to the group. "But even so, she'll leave you guys alone for some time."

Nathan nodded. "Good. I do not want to get strung up by my stern again!"

Everyone cracked up at that.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - Tire Troubles

Nathan watched as the clouds began to move in, bringing with them some relief from the intense heat. Lately over the last few weeks the temperatures had been in the mid to high nineties, and that was worrisome because of the fact that the shiplings and pups needed extra water to stay cool in such hot weather. His own body was more adapted to the heat because of how long he had to spend out at sea, but it still made even him feel thirsty. He just needed to keep hydrated.

Off to the side, sitting on the dock with little Darien plopped on her lap, Rachel reached for a water bottle and slugged down a few gulps before wiping her mouth and putting the cap back on. "Man… It's been so hot recently," she said.

"I know," Nathan remarked. "Uh… Can I have some?"

Rachel smirked before she stood up and pulled over a larger water bottle for the destroyer. She needed a bit of time, but she was able to remove the top and move it over to the destroyer. Nathan grabbed the top of the bottle and tilted it up, allowing the cool liquid to flow into his mouth. He drank three long gulps before he put it down and his wife replaced the top.

"I just wish I had done something sooner…" he murmured, finally speaking again.

"If you mean those missiles, you did the best you could," Rachel assured him. "There were just too many to overcome."

"I know, but… I should've had more warning, more time to prepare… Then I could've shot them down…" he said softly.

Rachel pursed her lips and was about to speak when she caught a distressed cheeping coming from further down the docks. She stood up, grabbing little Darien in her arms as she did so. The shipling was already three feet long, and weighed a hefty seventy-five pounds for a little guy.

"Is that Chandler?" she asked.

"I'll go see what the kid's up to," Nathan said as he prepared to leave. But before he could, his eyes went wide as little Chandler sped around the corner, a big black tire firmly around his bow. He was cheeping constantly, spinning around in circles, rolling over, and squirming, trying to get the tire off. It seemed to Nathan that the tire was firmly placed around his mouth, and on top of that his gun was partially buried by it.

He winced, remembering his first time getting stuck with something placed on top of his gun. It was painful for a shipling of the _Arleigh Burke_ -class to have their gun buried. It led to complications later on down the road if it wasn't taken care of.

Chandler cheeped desperately as he finally managed to get it partially off, but his efforts to get it off further only wound up pushing it further onto his bow and he cheeped even more. His cries were becoming more pronounced the longer that tire stayed on there, and Nathan knew it was going to be painful to remove. He sighed as he sailed closer to his son and grasped him by his mast, pulling him clean out of the water and making his way back to the dock where a few forklifts and humans were unloading a fishing vessel.

"Hey! Got a minute?" Nathan called to them.

One of the men looked over and his eyes widened at the sight.

"Oh, crap! That doesn't look comfortable!" he said in shock.

"How'd he get a tire on his bow?" a female forklift asked.

"No clue," Nathan said with a shrug of his bow, still holding his son in his teeth. Chandler squirmed and cheeped, startling the destroyer into nearly dropping him. He managed to regain his grip though and set the struggling shipling down on the dock.

"Think you can spare a few hands and prongs to get this off him?" Nathan asked.

The man shrugged. "Sure. We're on a light load anyway."

A few men and two forklifts came over and followed Nathan to another location further away so as to not throw the tire into the water. The first man watched as Chandler flopped and wriggled, trying to remove the tire from around his bow.

"Where was he last seen before he came back with this?" he asked.

Nathan shrugged. "I have no idea."

"Hmmm." The man folded his arms before he waved his hand and the two forklifts grasped the little shipling, holding him down gently.

"Okay. It'll take a few good tugs, but we'll get it off," he said.

"Just get it off," Nathan said, a hint of worry in his tone.

The man nodded and he motioned to his companions to grab onto the tire.

Their hands wriggled into the gap and they began to pull and twist at it, making Chandler cheep louder and squirm even harder. Nathan closed his eyes and winced, expecting something bad to happen as they worked. He had to use every ounce of his will to not open his eyes and grab his son away from them.

As they worked, he forced his mind to focus on different things, like his wife and other son. And the battles that preceded all of this. Everything they had been through…

It was hard, yes, but it was worth it in the end as he finally had a loving wife and two adorable children, as well as a secure job as the Navy's leading vessel and a well-known scientist in his own right. Not bad for a warship, he mused as he finally heard his son's cheeping dying down.

He opened his eyes and was surprised to see the tire finally lying on the dock, Chandler's eyes wet with tears of pain. Nathan inched as close as he dared and examined his son's gun. It was a bit bent in, but it could easily be fixed. He sighed in relief. "Thanks," he said.

"No problem. And for future reference, keep him away from the tires bumpers!" the man said as he backed up from the shipling. Nathan nodded and grasped his son in his teeth, lifting him off the dock and putting him back in the water.

"All right, kiddo. Back to dock for you!"

Chandler cheeped and darted off, Nathan's eyes widening as he saw where he was heading.

"I told you to stay away from the oil rigs!" he called as he dashed after his son.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - Muddy Mo! XD

The last thing that Nathan expected to hear was a loud scream.

His wife looked up, her blue eyes narrowed. "What was that?" she asked as she finished feeding little Darien his milk. She tucked her shirt back down and proceeded to burp him.

"I have no idea," Nathan replied as he shifted his body against the dock. Off to his side little Chandler cheeped as he played with a piece of blue tow rope. He whipped that rope around, watching as the end flopped on the water and landed on the dock before falling in. With a cheep of happiness, he started his engines and raced around the harbor, that little segment of rope trailing behind him in a fluttering motion.

The destroyer laughed at his antics. "Looks like he's interested in that rope," he said.

"Let's just hope he doesn't get it caught around his bow like with that tire," Rachel grinned.

"Nah. That's pretty short. We won't have to worry about that," Nathan assured her with a low purr in his engines.

Rachel blushed deeply at the implications his tone provided, and she chuckled softly as she ran a hand down his superstructure, her touch light and feathery. He felt his engines heat up at her touch and he growled a bit lustfully.

The human shifted and leaned in, her lips inches from his structure when a loud bang echoed, startling the two badly.

Rachel nearly dropped Darien into the water, but she reacted quickly and grabbed the little shipling by his stern railing and hauled him back into her arms, holding him close to her chest. "It's okay, Darien…" she cooed as he started to cry.

Nathan watched with worry as she gently started to stroke his mast, a sensation that calmed any shipling down. His cries settled down to whimpers and sobs as she started to sing to him, a song that her mother used to sing to her as a child. Darien's eyes began to droop and within minutes he was sound asleep.

She placed him back in his crib and covered him up before she looked at Nathan.

"What caused that ruckus?" she asked.

Nathan's eyes went wide as he stared at the sight of a mud-caked battleship coming back into port, her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Okay! Who did dis?" she asked, her voice sounding congested.

"Uh… Mo?" he blurted.

Chandler heard the commotion and came to a stop, still holding the rope in his teeth. He cheeped in confusion. Why was the lady battleship all brown?

Mo rolled her eyes. "Ask a certain ocean liner!" she grumbled. "My guns got filled wid mud!"

"Mud?!" Rachel had to clasp a hand to her mouth to keep from laughing. "Are you serious?" she giggled.

"Was it Big U?" Nathan asked, trying to get information.

"No! Id was dat obnoxious Queen Mary!" Mo spat.

Nathan was confused though. "Why would she fill your guns with mud?"

"No clue…" Mo snorted. "But I will get id out!"

"And how will you do that?" Rachel asked as she leaned against her husband's railing.

Mo grinned.

She turned and aimed her guns at Queen Mary who was snoozing in the sun.

Nathan winced, looking at his wife who covered little Darien's ears, but not before covering her own with a pair of soundproofing headphones. He reversed course as Chandler cheeped and darted after, hiding behind his father's armored hull plates.

Mo fired her guns moments later, sending three large blobs of something brown right for Queen Mary.

SPLAT!"

"ACK! WHAT THE HELL!?" Queen Mary roared as she spat and spluttered.

The family at that point lost it. Chandler wound up rolling onto his side, the rope falling out of his mouth as he howled in laughter. Nathan cracked up, having to lean against the dock to prevent himself from collapsing. Rachel on the other hand had both hands to her mouth as she giggled. And little Darien slept through it all.

Nathan was a bit jealous of the kid, but he loved him just the same.

Now how to avoid getting roped into the next prank…?


	9. Chapter 9

**This one was written by queenpearl! Hope you enjoy it~! ;D**

Chapter 9 - Tire Trouble II

Chandler and his new friend, the little submarine pup he'd found days earlier, were out exploring the harbor. Thresher had given her the name Artemis, named for the Greek goddess of the hunt and the night. This was done in the hopes that little Artemis could grow up big and strong. Right now she was a small, weak and sometimes sickly little thing. Today was one of her good days though and Chandler was happy to take her out on one his little jaunts.

The pair sailed amongst the oil rigs on the far side of the harbor. Chandler knew he'd get a spanking if he was caught here but his father was no where to be found. In fact Nathan was out on a patrol heading for the naval base at Norfolk to meet with, and discuss defense strategies for the East Coast and Rachel went with him. This left Chandler and Artemis to their own devises. Only Thresher was around to watch the pair and the old submarine had come down with a nasty bout of sub flu just a day after Chandler's parents had left. Which meant she was in no condition to keep up with the rambunctious pair.

All she told them, in between her bouts of coughing and throwing up was "Keep within sight and earshot. Stay away from the oil rigs, and don't get into anything you're not supposed to."

Right now, Chandler and Artemis were disobeying all three of those orders. They were well out of sight and though Thresher could call them her voice was so hoarse that it was unlikely they would hear. They were sailing right through said restricted area and were about to head straight into a mound of tires used as part of a training course for young cadets.

Chandler was only 3 months old, his mast only just beginning to straighten up. Artemis was 2 months old and while she had grown a bit, 20 feet instead of her original 15, she was still tiny and could easily be overlooked. This forced Chandler or someone bigger into sticking with her whenever she went out. Adult submarines were difficult to spot but at least they could dive. Artemis had yet to master the art of swimming under water so if a surface ship came her way, she'd have no where to run. Her escort served as a warning system and rescue ship to this effect, keeping her out of harms way.

Right now the pair were sailing into harms way, well the fun kind anyways. Chandler stretched his bow out of the water as he reached up to grab a tire just above his head. Sinking his teeth into the hard rubbery surface he pulled it out from the stack which wobbled dangerously. Behind him Artemis cheeped worriedly but Chandler reassured her when he came back down, tire held in his jaws with his head held high.

Next it was the submarines' turn. Artemis, unlike Chandler, could move out of the water using her fins or diving planes. The acted like seal fins in this regard, allowing her to flop along a beach in the same manner as the previously mentioned aquatic mammalia cousin. Finding the tire she wanted, Artemis got her teeth on it and tugged but it wouldn't budge, being held in place by other tires. Squeaking in frustration the submarine tugged harder, balancing as her port plane gripped a nearby tire. It wobbled under her 130 lbs of weight but held, until with a final tug, Artemis pulled her tire free. Her triumph was short lived. The tire holding her weight gave way and with a squeal the submarine fell back, 30 feet to the water below. The rest of the stack came tumbling down after her.

Chandler's first words ever spoken were the ones he said in that moment. "Oh shit!" He cried, diving forward to catch Artemis. Briefly the shipling wondered how Thresher would feel when he showed her he could speak. The submarine would be thrilled. But he pushed the thought from his mind in an instant. Artemis took priority now.

He gave a grunt of pain as the submarine landed on his back, still gripping her tire in her teeth. The destroyer shipling bolted out of there as fast as his little engines could carry him, but Artemis was heavy and weighing him down and it wasn't long before little Chandler was buried under the falling tires, his cries of distress fading into nothing as they were covered up.

Thresher's superb hearing had heard the tire stack falling and the submarine straightened up in her berth, looking out in that direction. "Punk kids." She snorted, thinking it was some unlucky destroyer cadet who had failed his test and was taking his anger out on the tire stack. But she felt compelled to check just in case. Chandler and Artemis hadn't returned yet and knowing the exploring streak of Nathan's son, the submarine knew that off limits areas were just where he would be found.

The submarine ignored her aching body as it was wracked with feverish shivers and sailed off. She had to partially dive to clear the oil rigs, her sail making it with inches of clearance. "If those kids came here, they're in a heap of trouble." She growled as she came out the other side.

"What a mess." Thresher thought to herself when she arrived on the scene. Tires were strewn everywhere, some floating single on the water, drifting with the currents towards the main channel, others were stacked four, five high even in small piles, but nothing like the giant mound that existed before. The wooden post that was anchored firmly in the seabed was once buried in the center of the stack. It now was fully exposed, a dozen tires hanging from it like some kind of tire shiscobob.

A cheep broke the silence and Thresher paused, her hearing tuning in on it. After a few seconds, there it was again. A shipling's cheep, a distress call. Thresher's paternal instincts flared and the submarine was on high alert at once, the rush of adrenaline providing an extra dose of clarity to her senses. When the sound came a third time, Thresher had an exact fix on it. She approached one of the biggest mounds farthest from where the tire pile used to be. She could just make out the tires moving, fractions of an inch upwards and then back down again, as though something was underneath it and was trying to get out.

Instantly, the submarine lunged forward and grabbed the top layer of tires in her jaws, flinging them to the side. She repeated this several more times until she found Chandler, Artemis huddled at his side and still gripping her tire. Her little form shook from the shock of what had just happened. Thresher sighed.

"What am I going to do with you two?" She asked as she removed the tires surrounding them and lifted the pair free. "From now on you two are staying with me. No more excursions."

Chandler cheeped sadly and lowered his head, his desire to show Thresher he could talk now gone. He accepted his punishment though.

Thresher put a fin around the shipling to keep him close, Artemis huddled on the other side as the older submarine led the way back. Both shiplings could feel the heat coming off her hull, and the sweat mixed with seawater running down her sides. Periodically, Thresher's head would drop and her coughs would rack her so hard that she'd let go of Chandler as her planes jerked upwards. Her nose ran green snot and she did her best to wipe it away.

Chandler cheeped worriedly and nuzzled her side with his little bow, Artemis did the same holding out the tire she managed to keep.

"Did you catch that little one?" Thresher asked her.

The shipling nodded proudly. Thresher licked her. "Keep it kiddo. I'll be alright." She assured.

Artemis placed it on Thresher's back nonetheless, snuggling up to her as they entered the berth. Thresher licked her adopted daughter as she yawned tiredly. She wasn't tired enough though to cheep for food. With an amused chuckle, Thresher rolled on her side so the baby sub could feed. Artemis happily found herself a teet and began suckling down her dinner. Chandler watched, tipping his bow to the side in confusion. He'd drunk from his mother but she was human, it was a whole different ballgame. He was also being weaned and would take either fish or milk. But watching Artemis he settled on the latter. Thresher gave a soft bark, meant to appeal to her pups instincts much the same way a ships coo would. Chandler didn't understand nor did his instincts respond to it but he was hungry and he too began to suckle right alongside Artemis.

The submarine finished first, and giving a toothless yawn, little blue eyes closing, she curled up and went right to sleep. Thresher rubbed a gentle fin over her back and Artemis burped before giving a small sigh of contentment, fins twitching as she fell asleep. Chandler was next and Thresher patted his back, similar to how she burped Artemis until the destroyer shipling belched. Thresher chuckled and set him down beside Artemis watching as Chandler curled up against her, mast tickling her stomach.

Usually, Thresher would enjoy this but her sub flu kicked in and reaching for her bucket she lowered her head and threw up noisily into it. Finished for now, she pushed it away where a dockworker would come by at some point and empty it for her. She then curled around the pair of sleeping shiplings and tried to get some rest as well, her own fins twitching in her sleep, just like Artemis.


End file.
